Edgar holds off Stratford in Marawood battle

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Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Edgar jumped to a 15-0 lead but had to hold on to escape with a 15-13 win over Stratford at Stratford, Friday, September 18, 2015. Stratford missed a 30-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game.
Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

STRATFORD — The Wildcats kept their undefeated season alive by just a matter of feet Friday.

Stratford's Kamren Borbach was wide on a 30 yard field goal attempt on a fourth-and-inches play with 31 seconds left as Edgar held on for a 15-13 win in a Marawood Conference game at Tiger Stadium.

Edgar, the top-ranked team in the Small Division of The Associated Press state poll, improved to 5-0 and 4-0 in the Marawood Conference.

"We didn't necessarily know how good we were after the first four games even though we were winning them big," said Edgar coach Jerry Sinz, whose team had outscored its first four opponents 186-0. "Now we know that we are solid, but we have another (tough) one next week up in Tomahawk."

Stratford's final field goal attempt came at the end of a 16-yard drive that started at the Tigers 22. The Tigers converted a second-and-30 on the drive.

"We tried to persevere over everything and we faced a few penalties too," Stratford junior lineman Tyson Kauffman said "I guess it's all about how you bounce back. We did what we could and it just didn't turn out the way we wanted it to."

Edgar's Shawn Bunkelman intercepted Sam Wenzel on the third play of the game at Stratford's 37 and the Wildcats capitalized on the opportunity.

Stratford's Taylor Krall caught three passes for 51 yards and rushed four times for 12 yards on the drive

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Edgar’s Austin Borchardt leaps to catch a first-quarter touchdown pass over Stratford’s Nick Stoflet on Friday to help the visitors win 15-13. Edgar, the top-ranked team in the Small Division of The Associated Press state poll, improved to 5-0.(Photo: Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media)

The Tigers scored the only touchdown of the second half midway through the third quarter, set up by an interception by Cole Hoffmann on Edgar's second offensive play of the half.

Krall capped the nine-play, 37 yard drive with a 3-yard run. Krall was stopped on the two point conversion, however.

Edgar was held to two first downs in the second half.

"They moved some guys around (defensively) and took away some of our passing," Sinz said of Stratford's defense. "We ran the ball reasonably well a few times, but we just couldn't do it consistently."

Edgar's defense forced three turnovers — two interceptions and a fumble. The Wildcats also stopped Stratford at the Edgar 9 in the second quarter.

"Our goal coming in was to score twice and then have defense do the rest," Edgar quarterback/linebacker Matt Urmanski said. "Our motto is, 'Defense wins championships.' Once we got the 15 points we felt we could win the game."

Urmanski connected with Austin Borchardt for a 29-yard score on a fourth-and-2 play. Urmanski lofted a pass down the left sideline and Urmanski went high over Nick Stoflet to haul in the pass at the goal line.

We loaded right (side of the line) and had two yards to go, so everyone and their brother thought we were going to run" Urmanski said. "I isolated him to the left and just threw it the ball up toa 6-(foot)-4 gazelle who caught the ball."

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The Wildcats remained perfect with a 15-13 win over Stratford in a Marawood Conference game Friday.
Tim Johnson/Daily Herald Media

Wylie Frahm capped Edgar's next drive with a 22 yard run on a third-and-5.

But after gaining nearly 100 yards on their first two possessions, the Wildcats were held to 25 yards and a first down in the second quarter.

Stratford took advantage of a short field late in the second quarter to close to within 15-7 at the break.